The embodiments described herein relate generally to vehicle instrumentation, and more specifically, to methods and systems for displaying and adjusting parameter limits on a display screen included within the vehicle instrumentation.
At least some known aircraft include an electronic flight instrument system (EFIS). In an EFIS, conventional electro-mechanical flight instruments are replaced by at least one electronic display, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a light emitting diode (LED) display, or a cathode ray tube (CRT) display. The EFIS may include a primary flight display (PFD) that provides continuous flight status input to a flight crew, e.g., the pilot, co-pilot, and/or navigator of an aircraft. Typically, the EFIS presents flight information on the PFD in a format similar to that shown by electro-mechanical flight instruments, however, the electronic display provides flexibility to provide additional information and/or for altering the presentation of the flight information. Such information typically includes aircraft attitude, altitude, vertical speed, horizontal airspeed, and horizontal situation, e.g., aircraft heading. Also, such information contributes to improved situational awareness. Situational awareness is defined as continuous and conscious perception by flight crew of complex and dynamic relevant elements of the current flight environment. Such elements may include other aircraft, weather conditions, and a physical status of the known aircraft. Such situational awareness may also include an ability to forecast and then respond appropriately moment-to-moment and event-to-event to execute tasks based on those perceptions.
Certain flight parameters must be maintained within specific ranges during different phases of a flight. For example, airspeed must be maintained within a specific range in order to maintain an altitude or to provide a steady descent to prepare for landing. Typically, the pilot manually determines such ranges using charts or tables. Alternatively, the EFIS may determine such ranges, which may be changed by the pilot to account for flight conditions the EFIS does not monitor. However, such changes are not limited to ensure range limits are not exceeded.